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E-Commerce and Executive Information Systems 113
(PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2000). Clearly this new networked computing environment
has impacted existing IS and in turn impacts an organization’s EIS.
Turban et al. (2000) predict that e-commerce limitations will lessen or be
overcome. Appropriate planning can minimize their impact. These researchers
report that rapid progress in e-commerce is taking place. As technology improves
and experience accumulates, the ratio of e-commerce benefits to costs will increase
resulting in a greater rate of e-commerce adoption. [For a discussion of ecommerce
in developing countries, see Worthington-Smith (2001).]
Watson et al. (1997) suggest the following trends in EIS:
• EIS are becoming more enterprise-wide with greater decision support
capabilities;
• EIS are becoming used or integrated with software not specifically designed
for it, e.g., the World Wide Web technology; and
• EIS are gaining in intelligence through the use of intelligent software agents.
Executives place substantial requirements on EIS (Turban & Aronson, 1998).
First, they often ask questions which require complex, real-time analysis for their
answers. Hence, many EIS are being linked to data warehouses and are built using
real time OLAP in separate multi-dimensional databases along with organizational
DSS. There are also efforts to use data warehouse and OLAP engines to perform
data mining (Han, 1998). Secondly, executives require systems that are easy to use,
easy to learn and easy to navigate. Turban and Aronson (1998) report that current
EIS generally possess these qualities. Thirdly, executives tend to have highly
individual work styles. While the current generation of EIS can be moulded to the
needs of the executive, it is difficult to alter the look and feel of the system or to alter
the way in which the user interacts with the system. Fourthly, any IS is essentially
a social system. The researchers note that one of the key elements of an EIS is the
electronic mail capability it provides for members of the executive team. Nowadays,
the electronic mailing of multimedia documents is becoming critical. Given this
scenario, the EIS of the future will look significantly different from today’s systems.
As organizations become more global in nature, providing information about
international locations around the world is becoming critical to organizations’
success. The accuracy and timeliness of information for decision-making become
critical. The challenge has become to find ways to integrate information across the
enterprize (Ba et al., 1997). The transparency of the integration of the information
process is what makes Web technology so effective. Palvia et al. (1996) investigated
the types of data that executives require in two scenarios: (1) introducing a
new service or product into other countries; and (2) distribution channel expansion
into other countries. Most of the executive information requirements include
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